Merthyr toddler dog attack owner given suspended sentence

Barry Sidings Countryside Park, at Trehafod, Rhondda Cynon Taf, is a popular attraction

The owner of a guard dog that seriously injured a three-year-old girl has been given a suspended jail sentence.

The toddler needed surgery after being attacked at the Barry Sidings Countryside Park, at Trehafod, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in August.

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the Dutch herder was trained for protection and security work.

Daniel Barge admitted being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place.

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Barge, 33, from Pontypridd, adopted the 10-year-old dog called Chief from a rescue centre four days before the attack and was warned to keep it away from children, the court heard.

Prosecutor Jeff Jones said: "It was trained in Germany and the new owner was told to keep it away from children's playgrounds and sand pits.

Flashbacks and nightmares

"It was being walked on a harness when it gripped the girl's back and neck and began shaking her for 15 seconds while she was on the ground.

"Passers-by and the girl's grandfather all struggled to get the dog off her, such was its grip."

A victim impact statement by the little girl's mother said she was left with a fear of animals with claws and still has flashbacks and nightmares.

The girl, who can't be named for legal reasons, was treated at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff for four days after one of the bite wounds narrowly missed her lungs.

The court heard Barge was "deeply saddened and remorseful" and had the dog put down immediately after the attack.

He was given a two-month suspended jail sentence and was ordered to pay the girl £500 compensation, which Judge Richard Twomlow said was not intended to reflect the severity of her injuries.